Impersonating the FBI: Thieves steal countless iPhones
A gang from San Francisco stole numerous Apple cell phones directly from a large warehouse in Portland. They pretended to be the US Federal Police.
Symbolic image iPhone "theft": A warehouse was cleared out in Portland.
(Image: MeskPhotography/Shutterstock)
Spectacular robbery in the US state of Oregon: At least two people, as part of a gang of five, are said to have stolen “hundreds” of iPhones from a warehouse last April by posing as members of the US Federal Police, including cars with flashing beacons, jackets with the FBI logo, and bulletproof vests.
FBI-style into the warehouse
According to local broadcaster Kron4, the group was from the San Francisco Bay Area and knew that the warehouse in Portland served as an iPhone distribution center. According to the indictment, “around 200” Apple smartphones and several cameras were taken. Employees of the warehouse were threatened with weapons and words and eventually tied up.
Videos by heise
After the robbery, the two criminals who carried it out drove back to California and handed over the stolen iPhones. A second robbery, also involving Apple cell phones, is said to have been planned but failed because the group was arrested.
High prison sentences loom
The gang members are said to be between 25 and 48 years old. According to Kron4, four people are currently in custody, and a fifth person is still on the run. The warehouse is said to have been a “reshipping” company where parcels are reshipped. US federal authorities have already indicted the group, and a grand jury has taken over the case. The two perpetrators are said to have waited at the warehouse before driving into the parking lot with their lights on. The alleged FBI search then took place there. Due to the high value of the theft and the way it was carried out, the members of the gang are now facing long prison sentences.
It initially remained unclear whether Apple was directly affected by the case – for example because the company used the services of the warehouse. iPhones are comparatively easy to lock if they have been stolen. There is now an entire industry, including in China, that specializes in the “refurbishment” of such devices. In some cases, only the components are sold on, but in other cases, attempts are made to contact the victims so that they can unlock them themselves, allegedly to prevent their data from falling into the wrong hands.
Empfohlener redaktioneller Inhalt
Mit Ihrer Zustimmung wird hier ein externer Preisvergleich (heise Preisvergleich) geladen.
Ich bin damit einverstanden, dass mir externe Inhalte angezeigt werden. Damit können personenbezogene Daten an Drittplattformen (heise Preisvergleich) übermittelt werden. Mehr dazu in unserer Datenschutzerklärung.
(bsc)
